Eddie MacDonald Posts Back-to-Back Top 10s

Grimm Racing's Eddie MacDonald recorded a pair of Top 10 finishes this past weekend at races in Ohio and Maine.

Kevin Edwards

For the second year in a row, Eddie MacDonald raced a doubleheader weekend in two different series a thousand miles apart.

Ohio
The first stop was Saturday night in the Jegs 150, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Columbus Speedway, driving the Grimm Racing Chevrolet.

Earlier in the evening, MacDonald qualified the Monte Carlo in the 14th starting position.
At the drop of the green flag, MacDonald began another one of his patented moves to the front.

MacDonald cracked the top 10 by the mid-point of the race and stayed there for the rest of the event. The veteran driver pulled out a 10th place finish for the second straight year at Columbus.

Cale Conley of West Virginia won the Jegs 150 by leading every lap, jumping into the lead of the race on Lap 1 from outside the front row.

MacDonald continues to be locked in a season point battle between 5th place Brandon Gdovic (311), Ben Kennedy (309), and Bryan Ortiz (307) with MacDonald in 8th with 304 points.

Grimm Racing will compete in the next race at Iowa Speedway on Friday, August 3rd in the second combination race of the season with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West competitors.

Maine
Immediately following the race in Ohio, MacDonald and Grimm Racing crew chief Rollie Lachance drove to Pittsburgh for a flight to Portland, Maine.

There, they would compete with the Grimm Construction sponsored American-Canadian Tour Late Model in the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

A second New England crew had everything in order with the #17 MacDonald Motorsports Pontiac all ready when MacDonald, Lachance, Rob Grimm, Charles Grimm Sr., Dylan Grimm, and other crew members arrived at the track in time for the morning practice sessions.

There were six heat races with 73 cars trying to get in- to the Oxford 250 through heat, consolation and last chance races to make up the 39 car starting field.

MacDonald was in heat five positioned alongside 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne. Eddie won the fifth heat race and automatically started 5th for the big race. Bayne had to qualify through a consolation race later in the day.

MacDonald and Bayne raced side-by-side many times when Bayne was a regular in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.

The most memorable side-by-side duel between the two drivers was at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008. Bayne raced a Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet alongside MacDonald in the closing laps of the Heluva Good! 125 with MacDonald passing Bayne for the victory.

The most recent victors in the Oxford 250 are Kevin Harvick (2008), Eddie MacDonald (2009 and 2010) and most recently, Kyle Busch in 2011.

At the start of the Oxford 250, MacDonald raced his way to the front and was a contender throughout the race.

MacDonald took the second spot on Lap 12 behind leader Joey Polewarczyk Jr.
Joey Pole, as he is referred to in New England, dominated the race. He gave up the lead on a pit stop in the second half of the race, only to power his way back to the lead.

MacDonald fought all evening in the top five, and unfortunately faded during the closing laps to finish in 9th place.

Joey Polewarczyk Jr. was the TD Bank 250 winner, taking home a paycheck for $45,500.
On the rear deck of MacDonald's #17 Late Model was a tribute to the late Roland Lachance Sr., father of Grimm Racing crew chief Rollie Lachance.

Lachance Sr. passed away last November and was always a big supporter of son Rollie, MacDonald and Grimm Racing.

Trevor Bayne had a tough Sunday afternoon. He qualified through a consolation race and finished the 250 in 31st position.

Eddie MacDonald finished the weekend with two top-10s and completed all 400 laps of racing in the two championship events.